It's important in any team you work in that you establish a set of core values you want to work to.
These values are a collective contract between you and your closest colleagues, they show what you do and don't want to be known for.
Here's a simple step-by-step guide to set some core values. You can do with your team in about 45 minutes.
STEP 1
Consider the two questions below.
Give 10 mins to each question.
Have the questions on display using a board or flipchart.
Question 1: What's important about our department, and what's unique about us? (yellow post-it notes).
Individually write as many answers as you can think of on separate post-it notes.
Stick the words or statements on the wall, around the question, in no particular order for all to see.
You should start to see patterns emerge.
The words in the word cloud below increase in size with word repetition. It shows how a group has had similar opinions about what's important to them.
Example:
Question 2: What shouldn’t our department be about, and how don’t we want to be seen? (orange post-it notes)
Repeat the same process with this question so it sits side by side question 1.
Example:
STEP 2
This is called 'affinity mapping'.
Here you need to group similar ideas together and identify any relationships.
Place the team thoughts into approximately seven to eight groups.
Idea repetition is a positive signal of shared thinking.
Example:
STEP 3
Look at each of the groups created and choose a keyword or phrase which summarises the selection.
The keywords or statement(s) chosen from each group is one of the department core values.
Each of the groups showcases what is most important and unique about the department from the point of view of its members.
Example:
STEP 4
Define your values further.
Definitions/statements should be created using the terminology from the session, and specifically around the keywords as much as possible.
It is easier to communicate and work to these value statements if the team recognise their work in them.
A proposed list from the example from above might be:
1) We are creative and fun
2) Our department is approachable, helpful, empathetic and supportive
3) We strive to be versatile and pro-active
4) We want to be market leaders
Refine these further, a two to three defined statement list would be recommended.
Now you have your team core values.
Be proud of them, you created them together.
Share them around other departments.
Boldly display them to be seen and revisit this exercise every 6-months or so to see if they're still relevant to you all.
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